The pregnant transgender man talks to Oprah

Oprah feeling the belly of Thomas BeatieFrom a recap on Oprah's site:

Thomas [Beatie] says the desire to have children doesn't make him feel like less of a man. "I have a very stable male gender identity. I see pregnancy as a process, and it doesn't define who I am. It's not a male or female desire to want to have a child…it's a human desire," he says. "I'm a person, and I have the right to have my own biological child."

Beatie's obstetrician also appeared on the show and said, according to Reuters, "This baby is totally healthy. This is what I consider a normal pregnancy."

-Greg Dahlmann

Earlier on blog.bioethics.net:
+ A pregnant father

photo: Harpo Productions

comments

what! this woman is not a man. she had a 'sex change' and is pregnant. nothing amazing about it. she is a woman. born a woman and biologically remains a woman. Not facinating just reality. Woman can get pregnant.

Oprah is a wonderful, inspirational, powerful woman, and I have a great deal of respect for her and her accomplishments. However, she occasionally encourages misinformation about some issues; I didn't see the show, so I don't know how she explained it. I hope that she explained the details sufficiently so people came out more informed and understanding than less so. Raising awareness of the discrimination and bigotry in society regarding transgendered people is a good thing, but care needs to be taken in promoting factual information.

i am just confused about this. Does he have a penis? If he got pregnant, did he do it right before he become transgender, which means he must have been a women very recently. So, did he just get pregnant as a woman, then recently become a man?
If he has a penis, how did he get pregnant, and why was he having sex with a man as a man? The real question is this: did he have sex as a man or as a women and if he did as a man, how could he get pregnant with a penis?

I am not making any jokes. i am not that educated about this type of stuff and i really would like answers. I am not posting my email but you could just post a comment under mine as a supply.

He has female genitalia and become pregant deliberately through insemination.

Most F-to-M transgenders do not get penile reconstructive surgery because it is very expensive and invasive, and does not result in a "real penis", only a tube of skin that roughly resembles one. I believe that in this case, he was on hormones and had completed the transition from F-to-M, but stopped the hormones in order to become pregnant by either artificial insemination or in vitro. I'm sure that the details can be found online.

Regarding getting pregnant with a penis, spotted hyenas do it. :)

A woman who became a man acting like a woman, big deal we havse seen that before on TV, lol

it is no man pregnant, it is still a woman, I thought it was really a man till I read the details, oh wow big deal

I'm glad so many people think this a step in the right direction. Well let's get something clear; this child is going to have a very rough life because of this person's selfish actions. Everyone knows how evil children can be surrounding other kids of different backgrounds regardless of how many "acceptance lectures" they receive at school. I know gay and lesbian couples run into such circumstances so now imagine the added distractions of person who appears to be a "male" giving birth to a child. If "he" wanted to give birth to a child he should have remained a woman. Yes we have the right to do what we want with our bodies but this action will hurt the life he is bringing into this world. You can call me a bigot but the world, not I, will follow this couple like a circus. This child will know at a very early age that there is something very different with his or her parent's due to the media. So support this couple in their choice of self gratification at the expense of a normal life for their child. I for one already feel sorrow for this unborn child.

This is like a woman with a beard and no breasts getting pregnant.

As a woman who has carried and delivered three children I am offended by the continued referral to this woman as a "pregnant man" when she is no more male than any other woman biologically. While she had her breasts removed and received hormone therapy for a period of time, in my opinion she should never have been granted a legal change of gender to "male" when she had no plans to follow though with gender reassignment. I am offended on behalf of my many gay friends who have the personal courage to persue the right to legally marry a person of the same sex when it appears they could easily follow in this persons footsteps to bypass the existing laws regarding marriage between same sex individuals. I feel these two individuals have defrauded the government in regard to taxes among other things. I question the stability of either of these two people in regard to raising a child.

This case is the answer to gay marriage.
If I can change 1 male gender body part into a female part, then I can legally change my gender.
The court case that can be made on this issue is huge, and I only hope this will be challenged by a gay couple.
Then our govt. will be forced to address the gay marriage issue.
That will be a good day for all.

I'm still confused...
If this person wished to bear a child, why did they also chose to be known as a male? Oh, I just thought of something!
Can you say "media whore?" I know I can! I think thats... not right. Just like its not right to cook a baby on a grill.

yes but than again with uterus transplant it could be possible for a male who clearly went through reassignment surgery to be a woman.. would she have the legal right to get pregant too.. if he is a man i do agree he should of acted like one and had some other girl carry it for (him) if your gonna be your gender u gotta be the part.. i for one would love to carry a child.. that might be slefish to but thats saying all woman are selfish. the need to bear and care for children is a female.. i ask u why do i have to urge to actually wanna carry one.. though i do care for my current child as anyother would.. and im talking more than normal dads would.. roles are setting in society more than the actual parts.. gender is a role.. nothing else.. play the part or butt out.. k.. this actually coming from a transgendered girl.. not a woman yet but i can sure hell try...

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